The invention relates to a characterization device intended to measure a physical characteristic of a sample.
The invention more particularly relates to a characterization device including at least a measuring instrument and a positioning system allowing to position in an absolute manner the measuring instrument in relation to the sample.
The invention also relates to a characterization device including two measuring instruments, the positioning system allowing to perform co-localized measurements on the sample by means of the two measuring instruments.
With the coming of nanotechnologies, the capacity to perform extremely accurate measurements in order to control the manufacturing, the operation and the ageing of different components at the nanometer scale has become essential. A recurrent problem is then the “co-localization” of the measurements performed with different measuring instruments or at different instants of time.
By co-localization of the measurements, it is meant the possibility to perform different measurements at the same places of a sample.
The co-localization of measurements requires, on the one hand, a high spatial accuracy, i.e. the measuring instrument has to be very accurately positioned in relation to a sample to be characterized during a punctual measurement.
On the other hand, it requires a high repeatability of the measurements. It is indeed essential to be able to perform the same measurement at different instants and to find the same result for a stable sample.
It is known in the field of metrology that a sample characterization device includes a measuring instrument adapted to determine a physical characteristic of this sample at one point of the latter.
When using such a characterization device, it is useful to correctly place the sample in relation to the measuring instrument so as to perform the measurement at one particular point of the sample.